You'll Never Know
by GinnyWeasley5
Summary: A simple Defence Against the Dark Arts class gone wrong when one of the Professor's students relives her worst nightmare. One shot written for the QLFC - Beater 2 for the Appleby Arrows! xx


**A/N: Hello my lovelies! I've lost count of what round we're up to but I'm Beater 2 for the Appleby Arrows. My prompts were 'dementors' and 'Everything was going wrong' and I ALSO had to use 'And why, I'll never know.'**

 **Enjoy xx**

Everything was going wrong. Well, it hadn't _actually_ gone wrong as of yet, but I could tell it would. I mean really, a bunch of fifteen year olds trying to tackle a Dementor? How could that go _right?_

"Charly, stop worrying! It'll be fine!" Freddy says, nudging me in the ribs.

You see, Freddy's the wild one out of the pair of us. I'm the more centred, feet on the ground, cautious one, wether Freddy basically does whatever she wants, says whatever comes to mind and is the first one to take up a challenge or bet.

"Listen up, you lot!"

The whole class, including the two of us, silence and look at Professor Longbottom, awaiting instructions.

"So, as I'm sure you all know by now that you'll be learning how to defend yourself against a dark, dark creature known as a Dementor. They are known as some of the most emotionally and mentally draining creatures alive, and they are. Trust me, I know from experience. They drain all of your happiness away from you, leaving you with _nothing,"_ Professor Longbottom explains, "and the only to fight them, is with happiness. Now, this may seem impossible as it will feel like you're happiness is begin stolen and there's no more happiness left, but if you pull deep, you will find that you are successful."

Someone's hand must be up in the air because Professor Longbottom stops talking and nods towards the left side of the room. I turn behind me to see Albus Potter leaning on the desk, a cocky expression on his face.

"What if you know how to fight a Dementor?" he asks.

"And how would you know that?" I ask suddenly.

I don't know what it is about him, but he's annoyed me since Day 1 of Hogwarts. And I've annoyed him. He makes me complete loose my mind with annoyance and forget the caution that I always have. We have a hate/hate relationship which always brings out the worst in the both of us.

"Charly, don't do it," Freddy whispers, gripping my robe tightly in her hand.

"My father's an auror if you didn't know," Potter answers, giving me a smug look.

My mind whirs quickly, trying to come up with a quick comeback. Three seconds tick by, the whole class waiting to see if I'll say something. By now, everyone knows that we'll fight and then we'll get over it. Even I know it and don't try to stop it.

"And when have you ever be in a situation where you need to fight a Dementor?" I ask, mocking his tone.

"You'd be surprised," he smirks.

Before things can get more intense, Professor Longbottom interrupts us by answering Potter's original question.

"Well, Mr Potter, it doesn't surprise me that you know how to fight a Dementor, as your father works in that field. But as the rest of the class doesn't know how to, I wouldn't mind if you demonstrated or helped around even," he says.

Potter nods and makes his way up to the front of the classroom. On his way, he nudges me in the shoulder with his shoulder purposefully.

"I won," he whispers.

I feel my blood boil once again but I breath, trying to calm myself. After all, I need to focus on the lesson or else I'l find myself facing my worst fears.

"So first of all, I'ld like you to pair up and discuss your worst fears so that you can prepare yourself for what you might be facing if you are unsuccessful in defending yourself. Now, this isn't an actual Dementor, it's a Boggart that's going to be taking the form of a Dementor, but that doesn't make it any less frightening, do you understand me?" Professor Longbottom explains as the class starts to break out into chatter.

Freddy and I sit down at our usual desk; the front middle and start to discuss our worst fears.

"Well, I know what yours is, Fred! You are terrified of spiders and heights!" I tell her, giggling because she's a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, yet she is completely terrified of heights.

She glares at me, then starts laughing at my laugh, which seems to always make her laugh.

"Charly, you don't think your terrors of your mum will come back, do you?" Freddy asks, dropping her voice in the noisy room.

My laughter stops instantly and I sit there, staring at the ground, eyes not really focusing on anything. My mum. If you could even call her that. She was horrible. And pretty much a living demon. She abandoned me on the street when I was eight and I was found by Freddy's family, who took me. Even though I wasn't that old, I still remember the nights when I'd be fending for myself in our massive mansion as she was out, somewhere doing Merlin knows what.

So, I ended up being a Muggle-born in a Wizarding family and also ended up getting my Hogwarts Letter and here I am, learning how to defend myself against some of the darkest creatures part of the Wizarding world.

"Class! Listen up!" Professor Longbottom calls, "so, once you've thought of your happy thought, you're going to wave your wand around you, then aim it at the Dementor and call 'Expecto Patronum!' and just a warning, you will rarely get it on the first try. Albus, up you come for a demonstration!"

Professor Longbottom unlocks the big, looming cupboard and a scrawny, black, blistered hand latches itself onto the door. The temperature drops and I shiver, a tingle running itself down my spine. More of the creature emerges, black tendrils of some sort of material leaking out from the door. A raspy breathing fills the room and I see Potter grip his wand tight, widening his stance.

The whole classroom is silenced by this creature.

More of the creature unfolds itself and I gasp when I see it's face. Three big gaping holes cover it - two for what seem to be eyes and then the third one is it's mouth. It's drawn out, the raspiness increasing.

I start to feel all of my energy and happiness drain from me and I see myself, wandering the streets of London, calling for my mum as the rain poured down.

Suddenly, Potter whirls his wand around his head, conjuring white, tendrils from his wand. He yells the incantation and then the whisps form a stag. The stag barrels towards the Dementor and forecast back into the cupboard.

The memory snaps away from my vision and the classroom grows warm again, a warm colour returning to it. The class breaks into a round of applause and I reluctantly clap, impressed by his efforts.

"So, who'd like to go first?" Professor Longbottom calls.

"Charly would love to," Potter answers, leaning back on one of the desks.

I shoot him the biggest glare I can muster, knowing that he'll just smirk back at me.

"Charly?" Professor Longbottom asks, looking to me for confirmation.

I nod, taking off my robes, jumper and rolling ump shirt. Some of the guys wolf whistle and I just roll my eyesI grab my wand and Freddy gives me a hug. I walk up, ready my stance and think only happy thoughts.

 _Being taken in by Freddy_

 _Hogwarts Letter_

 _Diagon Alley_

 _First day of Hogwarts_

 _Halloween_

 _Flourish & Blotts_

 _Chocolate Frog Cards_

"Are you ready?" Professor Longbottom asks.

I nod, blowing a few stray bits of hair out of my face. I emphasise on being taken in by Freddy and the joy I felt when I was finally accepted into a loving family. The room darkens as the door to the cupboard creaks open. I try to tackle the nerves in my stomach but my mum keeps creeping into my mind.

I shake my head, focusing deeply on the Dementor. It reveals itself fully and I stare into it's black eyes, glaring at it. I suck in my breath and raise my wand above my head, preparing my self to call out the charm.

But nothing comes out.

The thing advances towards me and I feel all the air sucked out of me. My mum walks into my vision and she starts to yell and scream at me, but I can't hear her. I try to bring my focus back to the creature in front of me, but my heads pounding. My arm drops from above my head, my wand rolling out of my sweaty palm.

The last thing I remember before I pass out is seeing Potter step out in front of me, shove me to the side and then the Dementor disappears.

"Charly? Oh she's awake!"

I slowly open my eyes, my vision blurring a little. I sit up quickly, my head dizzying as soon as I lift it.

"Oh good - I was worried I was going to have to call Madame Pomfrey if you didn't come to!" Professor Longbottom says as he comes and bobs down in front of me, "Albus, can you do me a favour and take Charly to the Hospital Wing while I continue the class seeing as you know how to do it. I know she's fine, but she got a nasty bump on the head so I just want to make sure."

My hand flies up to my temple and I can already feel a hard bump building. I see it's tinged purple in my reflection in the window. I'm too disorientated to protest that Potter takes me, so I let Freddy haul me up off the ground and lead me out of the classroom. She hands me over to Potter reluctantly.

I sway a little bit when Freddy goes back into the classroom, and I grab onto the wall, my vision blacking out a little bit. I feel Potter wrap his arm around my waist and pull my upright.

"Please, let go of me," I ask, not particular wanting to have to be held up by my arch enemy.

"No."

I decide to suck it up, seeing as my head's pounding and I really do feel as if I'm about to topple over with every step. We walk slowly in silence, and why I'll never know, seeing as we constantly have something to say to each other.

I finally find my words the same time he finds his.

"Why did you -"

"I'm sorry I -"

We look at each other awkwardly as we walk up the stairs. I gesture for him to go first, wincing as my head feels like it's going to explode.

"I'm sorry I forced you up there. If I had known that you know, your mother had abandoned you I wouldn't have put you in that place, seeing as your fear for her is greater than your fear for dementors," he explains.

My eyes flutter shut and we come to a halt. How can he even know that she left me? I've only told Freddy and that's all.

"Wait, how do you know my mother left me?" I ask sharply, and instantly regretting my tone when a wave of pain washes over me.

"You don't remember?"

I shoot him a glare.

"Oh right. So, once you passed out, the dementor turned to your mother because it was a boggart and she started screaming at you. I don't know how it still turned even if you were unconscious."

I inhale, feeling my cheeks flush. Now the whole class knows what happened with my mother. We walk in silence from then on his arm still around my waist and my arm now around his shoulder.

Thoughts whirl through my mind - this will spread like wildfire, people will judge, people will want to know more and worst, Potter will know have more ammunition against me to use in our battles.

"Why did you apologise?" I ask, suddenly annoyed at him.

He looks a little dumbfounded at my question and I realise that I really should put a filter between my thoughts and my words.

"Because I wouldn't want you to bring up emotional scars. I like to win our fights but I wouldn't go that far," he says.

I'm beginning to see a certain side of Potter that I've never seen before - his sympathetic side. I mumble a 'thanks' and he pushes open the door to the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey comes on out, and Potter tells her what happened. She bustles about, sitting me on one of the comfortable beds. She hands me three potions, one bubbling gold, one a light pink and a periwinkle blue, thick one.

I take the gold one first, which makes my head feel numb. The pink one makes the throbbing die down and the dizziness sort of go and finally the blue one makes me feel drowsy.

I lie down on the bed, curling up in a ball, as my eyes start to droop. I see Potter take a seat next to my bed and lean back, settling in.

"Why are you being so nice," I ask, my words slurring together as the potions start to kick in.

"Because we should be friends, not enemies," he answers.

The last thing I can think before I fall asleep is that in all the things that had gone wrong today, I may have lost an enemy and made a friend instead.

To say the least.

 **A/N: Hey babes! So I didn't actually have any inspiration for this story so I crafted what I could from what I was given!**

 **Reviews are always welcomed xx**


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